Method and system for in-situ measuring of a heat transfer fluid in a device for immersion cooling and device for immersion cooling

ABSTRACT

A method and system for controlling operation of an immersion cooling system having an immersion cooling tank adapted to contain a heat transfer fluid used to immersion cool a heat-generating object contained therein, the method including: sampling a volume of the heat transfer fluid while the object remains in an operating state; measuring at least one property or parameter of the sampled heat transfer fluid; generating and transmitting measurement data to a control unit; comparing measurement data with respective threshold data using the control unit; and controlling operation of the immersion cooling system with the control unit based on the comparison.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 62/959,358, filed Jan. 10, 2020, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to immersion cooling equipment and totesting techniques of heat transfer fluid contained in immersion coolingtanks, and, more specifically, to immersion cooling devices equippedwith in-situ measuring and control means.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Immersion cooling is a cooling technique used with computer systems, ITcomponents, electronic devices, electrical devices, and the like(hereinafter collectively referred to as electronics) by whichelectronics, including complete servers, may be submerged in athermally-conductive, liquid dielectric or coolant known as a heattransfer fluid. Heat is removed from the system by convection andconduction, by circulating the heat transfer fluid into direct contactwith hot components, then through cooling heat exchangers. Immersioncooling has the potential of becoming a popular IT cooling solution asit allows operators to drastically reduce energy usage through theelimination of expensive air cooling infrastructure including on-boardfans, compressors, necessary duct work, and other active ancillarysystems, such as dehumidifiers and so forth.

Conventionally, with immersion cooling systems, electronics are placedinside an immersion cooling tank, such that heat transfer fluid coversthe heat-generating area of the electronics in order to ensure effectiveheat removal. Disadvantageously, over time and with repeated use duringcooling operations, heat transfer fluid may become contaminated, e.g.,by particles, impurities, solid substances, liquid substances, and thelike.

Exemplary sources of impurities/contaminants may include fine- tocoarse-grained solid particles, liquid contaminants that do not dissolvein the heat transfer fluid, liquid contaminants that partially dissolvein the heat transfer fluid, liquid contaminants that dissolve fully inthe heat transfer fluid, printed circuit board (PCB) fluxes,plasticizers, water, and so forth. Fluxes, e.g., resin and rosin, mayoriginally be found on the PCB but can be washed out from the PCB by theheat transfer fluid. Typical fluxes have boiling points that may varybetween about 100° C. and about 130° C. Plasticizers include additivesused to improve, for example, the softness of the plastic typicallyfound in the coatings of some electrical cables. As with fluxes, heattransfer fluid may wash out the plasticizers, e.g., from the electricalcables, which then remain suspended or go into solution in the heattransfer fluid. Due to the repeated heating and cooling of electronics,water vapor in the air can condense and subsequently go into solution inthe heat transfer liquid.

As a result of this contamination, the heat transfer fluid may becomeless effective as a cooling agent. In particular, repeated use of theheat transfer fluid may affect the fluid's electrical resistivity, whichis a measure of the fluid's resistance to the transmission ofelectricity, which might be harmful to the electronics.

A recent implementation of heat transfer fluid as a cooling agentinvolves immersion cooling of electronics, and, more particularly,involves single-phase or two-phase liquid cooling of electronics. Whendielectric fluid, e.g., a liquid dielectric, is used repeatedly inimmersion cooling, its electrical resistivity, optical transmittance,and/or other properties may be deleteriously affected. Hence, in orderto ensure that the working heat transfer fluid is maintained in orproximate its pure form or pure state, the heat transfer fluid shouldremain extremely clean and essentially free of liquid and/or solidcontaminants, such that electrical resistivity, optical transmittance,boiling point, relative permittivity, and other properties of the heattransfer fluid remain within acceptable limits.

Contamination of the heat transfer fluid may lower its resistivity, heatcapacity, boiling point, and so forth on the one hand and increasehumidity in an immersion cooling tank, deteriorate heat transfer, and soforth on the other hand. This might cause overheating, inoperability,and/or destruction of the electronics immersed.

One technique to counter this deterioration is to regularly, manuallytest the heat transfer fluid when the tank is still in operation.Disadvantageously, opening the immersion cooling tank to sample heattransfer fluid manually for testing may allow some of the heat transferfluid to escape into the environment as vapor. Because heat transferfluids can be very expensive, there are monetary costs associated withmanual sampling. Moreover, external measurements require time andskilled manpower.

Another technique is to immediately or rapidly shut down the electronicsand the immersion cooling system to sample the heat transfer fluid.While the electronics and immersion cooling system are offline, however,there is a potential loss of productivity and potential data loss, whichare also undesirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One purpose of the invention is to provide a method and a device forin-situ measuring of a heat transfer fluid stored in an immersioncooling tank. Another purpose of the invention is to provide controlover an immersion cooling device on the basis of in-situ measured data.One objective of this invention is to provide an apparatus that providespermanent or periodic testing and monitoring of properties of the heattransfer fluid directly in the immersion cooling tank (i.e. in-situmeasurements).

In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a method forcontrolling operation of an immersion cooling system having an immersioncooling tank adapted to contain a heat transfer fluid and used toimmersion cool a heat-generating object contained therein. In someembodiments, the method includes sampling a volume of the heat transferfluid while the object remains in an operating state; measuring one ormore property or parameter of the sampled heat transfer fluid volume;generating and transmitting measurement data to a control unit;comparing measurement data with respective threshold data using thecontrol unit; and controlling operation of the immersion cooling systemwith the control unit based on the comparison. In some implementations,the heat transfer fluid cools the object using at least one ofsingle-phase immersion cooling or two-phase immersion cooling and/orsampling may include pumping the sampled volume of the heat transferfluid from the immersion cooling tank into a sample chamber. In somevariations, the method may further include filtering the sampled volumeof the heat transfer fluid prior to measuring.

In some applications, based on the comparison of measuredproperty/parameter data and stored threshold data, the method may alsoinclude one or more of: controlling a humidity within the immersioncooling tank (e.g., by operating or activating a desiccant fan incommunication with an inner plenum contained within the immersioncooling tank to remediate excessive humidity in the immersion coolingtank); when measurement data exceeds threshold data, generating andtransmitting, by the control unit, a signal of the unsuitability of theheat transfer fluid in the immersion cooling tank; when resistivitymeasurements are lower than respective threshold resistivity values,generating and transmitting signals to activate a pump, to force heattransfer fluid through a filter member to remove at least one of water,undissolved impurities, or dissolved impurities contained in the heattransfer fluid; and/or generating and transmitting signals to turn offthe immersion cooling system.

In a second aspect, the present invention relates to an immersioncooling system for cooling an object(s) immersed in an immersion coolingtank adapted to contain a heat transfer fluid. In some embodiments, thesystem includes: a sampling and testing system, as well as a controlunit structured and arranged to receive a signal(s) containingmeasurement data and to control operation of the immersion coolingsystem based thereon, such that sampling and testing occur while theobject disposed in the immersion cooling system remains in an operatingstate. In some implementations, the control unit may be further adaptedto remediate the heat transfer fluid in the immersion cooling tank.

In some implementations, the sampling and testing system may include asample chamber(s) disposed in a plenum space proximate the heat transferfluid in the immersion cooling tank; a pump for transporting a sample ofthe heat transfer fluid from the immersion cooling tank into the samplechamber via at least one conduit; and a testing unit containing asensing device(s) (e.g., a resistivity sensor, a relative permittivitysensor, a temperature sensor, or a water content sensor) for measuringone or more property or parameter of the sampled heat transfer fluid andfor generating and for transmitting a signal(s) containing measurementdata to the control unit.

Optionally, the system may also include one or more of: a heat exchangerin fluid communication with the immersion cooling tank for removing heatfrom the heat transfer fluid, a condensing device for condensing heattransfer fluid in a vapor state in the plenum space, a desiccant fandisposed in the plenum space, and a filter member in fluid communicationwith the pump. In some variations, the filter member may be selectedfrom a group that includes: a carbon filter, an ion exchange polymerfilter, a ceramic filter, or combinations thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an immersion cooling device having no measuringfacilities, in accordance with the prior art;

FIG. 2 depicts a device for immersion cooling equipped with in-situmeasuring facilities, in accordance with some embodiments of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram depicting the operation of the device forimmersion cooling, in accordance with some embodiments of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, an illustrative embodiment of an immersion coolingsystem 100 is shown. The system 100 is structured and arranged toimmersion cool objects 101, such as electronics. In someimplementations, the system 100 includes an immersion cooling tank 102that is adapted to contain a bath of a heat transfer fluid 103 that isconfigured to submerge all or some portions of the object 101. Theobject 101 may be operatively coupled to a power source 114, e.g.,through a switch 107. In some variations, the heat transfer fluid couldbe a dielectric fluid, e.g., a liquid dielectric. In further variations,the heat transfer fluid could be a fluorinated chemical.

Depending on whether the system 100 is for single-phase or two-phaseimmersion cooling, the system 100 may also include a heat exchanger 104and/or a condensing device 105. Heat removal by immersion cooling mayinclude direct and indirect methods, as well as single- and two-phaseapproaches. For example, for two-phase immersion cooling, in a firstphase, heat generated by the object 101 vaporizes the heat transferfluid 103 in which the object 101 is immersed or submerged. The heattransfer fluid vapor 106 rises above the level of the heat transferfluid 103. In a second phase, the heat transfer fluid vapor 106 producedin the immersion cooling tank 102, upon contact with an exterior surfaceof the condensing device 105, e.g., condensing coils through which acooling fluid flows at a pre-determined flow rate and temperature,condenses. The condensate may then be added back, e.g., by gravityfeeding, into the immersion cooling tank 102. In some embodiments, vapor106 can be irreversibly removed from the immersion cooling tank 102through an opening and/or a conduit provided for that purpose.

For single-phase immersion cooling, heat generated by operatingheat-generating objects 101 may be removed through forced convectionand/or conduction of the liquid heat transfer fluid 103 via a pump 108that is structured and arranged to circulate the heat transfer fluid 103through an inlet conduit 109 at a pre-determined flow rate andtemperature, to and through a (e.g., liquid-to-liquid) heat exchanger113, returning the cooled heat transfer fluid 103 back into theimmersion cooling tank 102, e.g., via an outlet conduit 110. An externalinlet conduit 111 and outlet conduit 112 circulate another (e.g.,cooling) heat transfer fluid at another pre-determined flow rate andtemperature through the heat exchanger 113, to remove heat from the heattransfer fluid 103.

In the course of operating the immersion cooling system 100, propertiesof the heat transfer fluid 103 change because of different contaminantsthat may be contained in the heat transfer fluid. For example, thecontaminants may affect or alter the boiling point of the heat transferfluid 103, its resistivity, and so forth. Problematically, lack ofinformation about the heat transfer fluid 103 properties raises the riskof overheating and destruction of all or come portion of the object 101.Thus, without a built-in system for in-situ measurements it is requiredto take measurement periodically with external tools. For in-situsampling of the heat transfer fluid 103 contained in the immersioncooling tank 102 shown in FIG. 1, the tank 102 must be opened so that asample of the heat transfer fluid 103 may be taken manually. Opening theimmersion cooling tank 102, however, introduces greater loss of the heattransfer fluid vapor 106 and also may introduce further contaminantsfrom the ambient environment into the heat transfer fluid 103. Indeed,humidity and numerous pollutants may penetrate into the immersioncooling tank 102, when the tank 102 is opened for sampling.

Immersion Cooling System

FIG. 2 shows an illustrative embodiment of an immersion cooling system200 for immersion cooling of at least one object 201. Advantageously,the system 200 includes a sampling and testing system 250 forautomatically sampling heat transfer fluid 203 to ascertain itsproperties and/or parameters. In some implementations, the system 200may include an immersion cooling tank 202 that is structured andarranged for containing a volume of a heat transfer fluid 203, as wellas a plenum 220 volume above the surface level of the heat transferfluid 203. In some variations, e.g., with two-phase immersion cooling,the system 200 may include a condensing device 205 that is structuredand arranged for disposal within the immersion cooling tank 202.Preferably, at least one sample chamber 208 may be disposed inside theimmersion cooling tank 202.

For example, in some implementations, the sample chamber 208 may befixedly or removably attached, adhered, and the like to an inner surfaceof the immersion cooling tank 202 within the plenum 220, at apre-determined elevation above the surface level of the heat transferfluid 203 and/or the object(s) 201 contained in the heat transfer fluid203. Preferably, the sample chamber 208 and the testing unit 209 areisolated from the heat transfer fluid 203 in the immersion cooling tank202 (e.g., within the plenum 220 space) but, otherwise, may be locatedin any area within the immersion cooling tank 202. Disposing the samplechamber 208 above the cooling bath has the added advantage of providinga space above the sampled heat transfer fluid within the sample chamber208 for sampling and testing the vapor.

Although the testing of the heat transfer fluid 203 may be performedwithin the cooling bath, sampling and testing within a cooling bathcontaining a boiling heat transfer fluid 203 may result in largervariations of the parameters and/or properties of the heat transferfluid 203 than might otherwise be the case when sampling and testing isperformed outside of the cooling bath. Additionally, disposing thesample chamber 208 outside of the cooling bath of heat transfer fluid203 may facilitate replacement and/or repair of the sensors A, B, C, Dwithin the testing unit 209.

A pump 210 in fluidic communication between the sample chamber 208disposed in the plenum 220 space and the heat transfer fluid 203 may beconfigured to deliver a, e.g., pre-determined volume of, sample of theheat transfer fluid 203 from the tank 202 into the sample chamber 208,e.g., via a conduit 222. In some implementations, the pump 210 mayfluidically communicate with the sample chamber 208 through a filtermember 211, e.g. a carbon filter, an ion exchanger polymer, a ceramicfilter, and combinations thereof. Optionally, the immersion cooling tank202 may also include a desiccant fan 219 that is adapted, e.g., whenselectively activated by a control unit 214, to dry out the air andvapor inside the tank 202. In some applications, the desiccant fan 219may include a fan and a desiccant material.

The sample chamber 208 is also configured to return the sample of theheat transfer fluid 203 back to the tank 202. For this purpose, thesample chamber 208 can be equipped with a vent 217 that is adapted tomaintain the sample within the sample chamber 208 at a constant level,e.g., by draining excess sampled heat transfer fluid back into theimmersion cooling tank 202. As heat transfer fluid 203 is pumped intothe sample chamber 208, it accumulates. Eventually, the level of thesampled heat transfer fluid within the sample chamber reaches the levelof the vent 217 at which point, the excess sampled heat transfer fluidwill flow out of the vent 217, returning to the immersion cooling tank202.

Testing Unit

The system 200 further includes a testing unit 209. In some embodiments,the testing unit 209 may include at least one sensor configured to takeone or a plurality of measurements of the parameters or properties ofthe sample of heat transfer fluid 203 contained in the sample chamber208. In some implementations, the testing unit 209 may include a set ofsensors, e.g. a resistivity sensor (A), a relative permittivity sensor(B), a temperature sensor (C), a water content sensor (D), and the like.The sensors A, B, C, D may have a probe to contact the sample of theheat transfer fluid 203 contained in the sample chamber 208 and,moreover, may be adapted to produce electrical signals, as necessary. Insome implementations, each sensor A, B, C, D may have a correspondingdisplay screen 223 to display the measurement results directly in thetesting unit 209.

The system 200 may also include a control unit 214 configured to triggerthe sensor measurements with the testing unit 209, to get measured dataand to control operation of the system 200. For instance, in oneimplementation, the control unit 214 can control the pump 210 (e.g., byopening or closing the electrical relay 213 to turn the pump 210 OFF andON, respectively). In some variations, the control unit 214 may includea wireless local area network (WLAN) module to transfer data from thetesting unit 209 to (e.g., online) storage device 215. In someimplementations, the control unit 214 may be implemented by a personalelectronic computing device selected from a group including: a tabletcomputer, a personal computer, a smartphone 216, a wearable smartdevice, a programmable logic controller with a software applicationproviding the receipt and display of information about the state of thesample in the sample chamber 208, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the object 201 is connected to a, e.g., electrical,power source 207 via an electrical relay 212. The pump 210 may also beconnected to the power source 207 via an electrical relay 213. Thedesiccant fan 219 may be connected to the power source 207 via anelectrical relay 218. All electrical relays 212, 213, 218 may becontrolled by the control unit 214. This allows all electrical parts ofthe system 200 to be controlled with the same control unit 214.

In some embodiments, after installation of the testing unit 209 in thetank 202, the user may activate the connection of the sensors to theInternet and to the online storage 215 as follows. The control unit 214can be connected to the testing unit 209 via a wireless personal areanetwork (WPAN) module (not shown). Due to the presence of thecorresponding software and hardware, the control unit 214 can provide aconnection for the transmission of data between the testing unit 209 andone of the available wireless local area networks (WLAN) for connectingto the Internet. After the first such connection, the testing unit 209establishes communication to the online storage 215, which automaticallycreates an AccountID for the sensor in the cloud storage. Every sensorA, B, C, D may include a unique identification number DeviceID. Thecontrol module 214, providing communication to the testing unit 209 andits management, has a unique identification number, e.g. in accordancewith UUID standard. As a result of the aforementioned first connection,the identifiers DeviceID and UUID are linked to the created AccountID,and each of the sensors A, B, C, D is assigned its own identificationnumber SensorID.

Thus, the testing unit 209; each sensor A, B, C, D; and the controlmodule 214 are linked to the account in the online storage 215.Optionally, several control units with different UUIDs can also belinked to the same AccountID. The same control unit 214 (with its uniqueUUID) can be linked to different AccountIDs for controlling severalimmersion cooling systems 200. This allows controlling, via a singlecontrol unit 214, several immersion cooling systems 200 equipped withcorresponding testing units 209, as well as controlling the sameimmersion cooling system 200 equipped with the testing unit 209, viaseveral control units with different UUID identifier.

In some implementations, data from the online storage 215 may also betransferred to a portable external computer or a smartphone 216 fordisplay. In some embodiments, the testing unit 209 can be equipped withsoftware and hardware providing direct wireless connection between thesensors A, B, C, D of the testing unit 209 and the smartphone 216, asshown in FIG. 2.

Operation of Immersion Cooling System

Referring to FIG. 3, operation of the immersion cooling system 200 willnow be described. Under normal operating conditions, the control unit214 may generate and transmit a signal to close the electrical relay212, such that power is delivered to the object 201 immersed orsubmerged in the heat transfer fluid 203 contained in the immersioncooling tank 202. Periodically or continuously, automatically ormanually, the control unit 214 may generate and transmit a signal toclose the electrical relay 213, causing the pump 210 to pump heattransfer fluid 203, e.g., a pre-determined volume of heat transfer fluid203, from the tank 202 into the sample chamber 208 (STEP 1). As soon asthe quantity of the heat transfer fluid 203 reached a pre-determinedlevel in the sample chamber 208 (STEP 2), the control unit 214 generatesand transmits a signal to open the electrical relay 213, causing thepump 210 to stop further pumping. Optionally, the control unit 214 maybe adapted to generate and transmit a signal to open the vent or thevalve 217 to drain excess fluid from the sample chamber 208 back intothe immersion cooling tank 202.

Once the sample chamber 208 is filled with a heat transfer fluid sample(STEP 2), the control unit 214 is configured to generate and transmit asignal to the testing unit 209 to measure parameters or properties ofthe sample withdrawn (STEP 3). In some implementations, the sensors A,B, C, D of the testing unit 209 measure a set of parameters, e.g.resistivity, relative permittivity, optical transparency, temperature,and water content. For the purpose of illustration rather thanlimitation, resistivity may be tested using an insulation resistancetester, relative permittivity may be tested using an open-ended coaxialprobe, optical transparency may be tested using a transparency meter,temperature may be tested using a thermocouple or a resistancetemperature detector (RTD), and water content may be measured (e.g.,directly) using an infrared spectroscope or (e.g., indirectly) using ahumidity sensor on a sample of the vapor.

The measured parameter (or property) data from each sensor A, B, C, D ofthe testing unit 209 may then be transmitted to the control unit 214(STEP 4) that is configured to compare the data with respectivethresholds stored in its memory (STEP 5). For example, the thresholdsmay be the parameter values or properties associated with new or freshheat transfer fluid. If the parameters/properties measured remain withinacceptable levels, the heat transfer fluid 203 in the system 200 may bedeemed to be suitable and acceptable for continued heat removal.Depending on the particular embodiment, the measured parameter data maybe transferred to the online storage 215 and/or to the smartphone 216for storage and later use.

If, however, the control unit 214 detects that any ofparameters/properties are not within acceptable pre-determinedthreshold, the control unit 214 may generate and transmit a warningsignal, e.g., displaying a warning notification, sending an e-mail, textnotification, or other medium to inform the operator that the heattransfer fluid 203 is unacceptable or unsuitable for heat removal andmay damage all or some portion of the object(s) 201. In someimplementations, there are remedial measures that the control unit 214may initiate without human intervention to improve the parameters (STEP6). For example, if humidity or water content in the heat transfer fluid203 exceeds its pre-determined threshold, the control unit 214 may closethe electrical relay 218 to switch on the desiccant fan 219, removingmoisture from the heat transfer fluid vapor 106. As another example, ifthe measured resistivity of the sampled heat transfer fluid is too lowcomparing to the pre-determined threshold, then the control unit 214 maygenerate and transmit a signal(s) to close the electrical relay 218 toswitch on the desiccant fan 219, as well as generate and transmit asignal(s) to close the electrical relay 213 to activate the pump 210,forcing heat transfer fluid 203 through the filter member 211. Filteringheat transfer fluid 203 containing undissolved and/or dissolvedimpurities through the filter member 211 is intended to remove water andother undissolved and/or dissolved impurities from the heat transferfluid 203.

While the control unit 214 performs any remedial measures (STEP 6), thesystem 200 continues to sample the heat transfer fluid 203 (STEP 1) fromthe tank 202 and the sensors A, B, C, D continue to measure theirrespective material parameters/properties of the sampled heat transferfluid (STEP 3). If, after comparison with respective thresholds (STEP5), the parameters have not improved in a pre-determined period of time,the control unit 214 may be configured to open the electrical relay 212,safely cutting-off power to the object 201 (STEP 7), thereby preventingdestruction of the object 201.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The foregoingembodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respectsillustrative rather than limiting the invention described herein. Scopeof the invention is thus indicated by the appended claims, rather thanby the foregoing description, and all changes that come within themeaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to beembraced therein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for controlling operation of animmersion cooling system comprising an immersion cooling tank adapted tocontain a heat transfer fluid used to immersion cool a heat-generatingobject contained therein, the method comprising: sampling a volume ofthe heat transfer fluid while the object remains in an operating state;measuring at least one property or parameter of the sampled heattransfer fluid volume; generating and transmitting measurement data to acontrol unit; comparing measurement data with respective threshold datausing the control unit; and controlling operation of the immersioncooling system with the control unit based on the comparison.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the heat transfer fluid cools the objectusing at least one of single-phase immersion cooling or two-phaseimmersion cooling.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein sampling comprisespumping the sampled volume of the heat transfer fluid from the immersioncooling tank into a sample chamber.
 4. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising, when measurement data exceeds threshold data, generating andtransmitting, by the control unit, a signal of the unsuitability of theheat transfer fluid in the immersion cooling tank.
 5. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising generating and transmitting, by the controlunit, signals to remediate the immersion cooling system.
 6. The methodof claim 5, wherein the signals activate a desiccant fan to remediateexcessive humidity in the immersion cooling tank.
 7. The method of claim5, wherein the signals activate a pump, when resistivity measurementsare lower than respective threshold resistivity values, to force heattransfer fluid through a filter member to remove at least one of water,undissolved impurities, or dissolved impurities contained in the heattransfer fluid.
 8. The method of claim 5, wherein the signals turn offthe immersion cooling system.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein samplingoccurs periodically or continuously.
 10. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising filtering the sampled volume of the heat transfer fluid priorto measuring.
 11. An immersion cooling system for cooling at least oneobject immersed in an immersion cooling tank adapted to contain a heattransfer fluid, the system comprising: a sampling and testing systemfurther comprising: at least one sample chamber disposed in a plenumspace proximate the heat transfer fluid in the immersion cooling tank; apump for transporting a sample of the heat transfer fluid from theimmersion cooling tank into the sample chamber via at least one conduit;and a testing unit containing at least one sensing device for measuringat least one property or parameter of the sampled heat transfer fluidand for generating and for transmitting at least one signal containingmeasurement data; and a control unit structured and arranged to receivethe signal containing the measurement data and to control operation ofthe immersion cooling system based thereon, wherein sampling and testingoccur while the object disposed in the immersion cooling system remainsin an operating state.
 12. The system of claim 11 further comprising aheat exchanger in fluid communication with the immersion cooling tankfor removing heat from the heat transfer fluid.
 13. The system of claim11 further comprising a condensing device for condensing heat transferfluid in a vapor state in the plenum space.
 14. The system of claim 11further comprising a filter member in fluid communication with the pump.15. The system of claim 14, wherein the filter member is selected fromthe group comprising: a carbon filter, an ion exchange polymer filter, aceramic filter, or combinations thereof.
 16. The system of claim 11further comprising a desiccant fan disposed in the plenum space.
 17. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the sensing device is selected from thegroup comprising: a resistivity sensor, a relative permittivity sensor,a temperature sensor, or a water content sensor.
 18. The system of claim11, wherein the control unit is further adapted to perform measures toremediate the heat transfer fluid in the immersion cooling tank.
 19. Thesystem of claim 18, wherein the control unit is adapted to activate adesiccant fan to improve a humidity in the plenum space.
 20. The systemof claim 18, wherein the control unit is adapted to activate the pump toforce heat transfer fluid through a filter member to remove at least oneof water, undissolved fluids, and dissolved fluids from the heattransfer fluid.